UFC boss: Ex-champ Rashad Evans could return in December or January

NOTTINGHAM, England – Nothing is set in stone, but former UFC champion Rashad Evans is likely to return to the octagon sometime in the early part of winter.

UFC President Dana White on Thursday said the former light-heavyweight titleholder, who hasn’t seen action since an April title fight decision loss to Jon Jones, could even return by year’s end.

“We were talking to Rashad this week and talking about him fighting maybe in December, maybe January,” White said.

White then told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) Evans even could be a possibility for the already-stacked UFC 155 card set for Dec. 29 in Las Vegas.

It’s not as if Evans (17-2-1 MMA, 12-2-1 UFC) hasn’t been busy. Earlier this month, he helped train and then helped corner Vitor Belfort for his title fight this past week against Jones at UFC 152 in Toronto. Belfort lost that fight by fourth-round submission despite having a moment early in the fight in which he caught the champ in a tight armbar that left the champ injured.

Evans’ loss to Jones at UFC 145 in April was an emotional setback after a long and at times controversial buildup. The two were former friends and training partners at the Greg Jackson camp in Albuquerque, but the well-documented rift between the two sent Evans packing and he helped form the Imperial Athletics “Blackzilians” team in Boca Raton, Fla.

Evans took Jones to a unanimous decision – just the third UFC fighter to do so, but first in Jones’ title era. He even picked up a round on two of the three judges’ scorecards. But in the end, Jones was his typical dominant self – though he said prior to UFC 152 that he didn’t have his normal “killer instinct” against Evans.

Prior to getting his title shot against Jones, Evans was on a four-fight streak after he lost his title to Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 – which was the first loss of his career. He beat Thiago Silva and rival Quinton “Rampage” Jackson by unanimous decision, stopped Tito Ortiz with a second-round TKO and dominated Phil Davis for five rounds to advance to the shot at Jones.

Earlier this summer, Jones tweeted that he’d love a shot at UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. But his manager subsequently told MMAjunkie.com that Evans merely meant he would fight anyone, but wasn’t seriously considering a drop to 185 pounds. After winning Season 2 of “The Ultimate Fighter” at heavyweight, Evans dropped to 205 pounds, where he has been a mainstay, going 6-0-1 before winning the title against Forrest Griffin in December 2008.

If Evans does not make it onto the UFC 155 card and instead winds up in the January estimation White spoke of, it’s anyone’s guess where the fight might take place. The UFC has not announced plans yet for shows beyond the calendar year.

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